The Martial Saint rose to power starting as a substitute bridegroom.

"Yes, Junior Brother Lu is a genius, even Master Lin is astonished by him."

Beside Luo Shan, a fair-skinned man with slightly curly hair chimed in. His face was full of admiration, clearly indicating that he regarded Lu Qing as a role model and was determined to emulate him.

This man's name is Jiang Chen, and he is an old member of the first batch of disciples of the Qingniu Martial Arts Society.

However, he was taciturn and not good at speaking, so he rarely talked to people and was often overlooked.

It is said that he was born into a merchant family and was fairly well-off. However, his family was attacked and killed by the retainers of his rivals, resulting in the deaths of seven or eight members of his family, leaving him the sole survivor.

After handling his relatives' funerals, he gritted his teeth and sold off all his ancestral home, then took a desperate gamble and joined the Green Ox Martial Arts Society.

He was one of the most diligent disciples, and his natural talent was not inferior, but he never made much progress. He failed twice when he tried to break through to the Ming Jin level.

"Senior Brother Lu is even younger than me, probably not even seventeen yet?" a newly initiated disciple said sourly.

Everyone fell silent.

Everyone present clearly understood what a martial artist with internal strength who was not even seventeen years old truly meant.

Qian Feng, the number one martial artist in Linjiang City and the outstanding young generation of the Qian family, broke through the Dark Force at the age of sixteen, then shone brightly in the martial arts examination, obtained the title of Martial Master, and was recognized by the Guicang Alliance as a disciple, thus embarking on the peak.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

A burst of hearty laughter rang out, and Lin Chong led three disciples out.

The four people were Lu Qing, Qi Xiuyuan, and Chen Ting.

Lin Chong surveyed his disciples, full of vigor, and with a wave of his hand, declared loudly, "Lu Qing is the most outstanding among you!"

Congratulations, Junior Brother Lu!

"Senior Brother Lu, please take good care of me in the future!"

……

The disciples all stepped forward, offering their congratulations and blessings. As for the expressions on their faces after they dispersed, that's another story.

Some were envious, some were jealous, and some sighed inwardly...

Yang Cheng turned to look at Lu Qing, his expression somewhat complicated.

His natural talent was already quite good, but when he was trying to master the internal energy, he failed twice and was in excruciating pain. He only managed to succeed on the third try.

The physical pain of the past and the huge psychological gap of today intertwine, inevitably bringing a touch of bitterness to my heart.

Qi Xiuyuan and Chen Ting stood around Lu Qing, the three of them talking in hushed tones, with bursts of laughter occasionally escaping their lips.

"Lu Qing, come in with me for a moment." Lin Chong called Lu Qing into the inner room, clearly indicating that he intended to give him individual guidance and special instruction.

After calming his mind, Li Yuan returned to his seat and silently began practicing the "White Tiger Bone Forging Technique"...

Later, several groups of wealthy merchants and bigwigs came to the courtyard one after another, all drawn by Lu Qing's reputation, wanting to place bets.

However, Lu Qing politely declined them all.

The disciples, who had never received any financial assistance before, were completely stunned.

As the party was ending, a wealthy businessman who had been waiting outside the door enthusiastically approached Lu Qing and whispered a few words in his ear.

Lu Qing blushed and followed them into a black carriage...

……

When Li Yuan returned to the patrol camp, Liang Bai was not there. He changed his clothes and was about to go on his routine patrol when he was stopped by Fatty Sun.

"Li Yuan, wait a minute." Fatty Sun put his hands behind his back, striking a pose like a wise and enlightened master.

"Huh?" Li Yuan asked, somewhat puzzled.

He wondered to himself, "Could it be that this Fatty Sun is trying to cause me trouble?"

However, I have no money to offer as a tribute, so I can simply choose not to wear this uniform.

At this moment, the other colleagues also looked over.

Those familiar with Fatty Sun's style of doing things were all on tenterhooks.

Li Yuan has only been here a few days and he's already offended people?

Why offend this person of all people?

Without several hundred taels of silver, it wouldn't be so easy to get through.

"I have a vacant deputy patrol officer position under me. Are you interested?"

These words shocked everyone present.

hiss--

Just how much did that kid Li Yuan bribe Fatty Sun?

Fatty Sun has always held onto that position tightly. Countless people have tried to negotiate his offer, both openly and secretly, but he has always turned them down with cold words.

What's going on today...? Did the sun rise in the west?

The deputy patrol chief's salary was twice that of an ordinary patrolman, a full twenty taels of silver per month.

Li Yuan agreed almost without hesitation, "Thank you, Lord Sun!"

He thought to himself that it was probably because of his fierce battle against the rat demon on Huaiyin Street yesterday that Fatty Sun looked at him with more respect.

A warm feeling welled up in Li Yuan's heart.

After several encounters, it turns out that this Fatty Sun isn't entirely as bad as the rumors suggest.

"The martial arts exam is approaching, so you should focus on practicing your skills from now on and not worry about anything else..." Fatty Sun said with a somewhat unnatural expression, coughing twice.

"Oh, right, this is this month's salary, twenty taels of silver, keep it safe!" Fatty Sun took out a money bag from his pocket and stuffed it into Li Yuan's hand.

Isn't it true that you can't get an advance payment?

hiss--

Why does my heart still feel a little hot?

"Alright, go back and prepare for today. Come back tomorrow. Just report to my room and I'll have someone change your clothes."

After saying this, Fatty Sun ignored Li Yuan's reaction, put his hands behind his back, and strode towards the head of the patrol's quarters.

Li Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

He could clearly see that the little fingers of Fatty Sun's hands, which were behind his back, were trembling slightly.

Surprisingly, this shrewd and sophisticated boss is actually quite shy at heart.

"Boss, have you thought this through? Wasn't that deputy patrol officer position reserved for your brother-in-law?" A dark-skinned, burly, towering man approached Fatty Sun and asked, puzzled.

This man's name is Qi Chong. He is an old patrolman who has been eyeing that position for many years.

Fatty Sun frowned, stopped, and rolled his eyes at Qi Chong. "What's wrong, jealous? My brother-in-law may not be up to the task, but you're even less suited for it!"

……

Liang Bai sent twenty taels of silver, plus three silver perch, through a messenger.

Recalling the day he fought the rat demon, Li Yuan still feels lingering fear.

He wasn't ready to make a move, but the primordial energy within him suddenly unleashed a bloodthirsty frenzy, driving him involuntarily into the battle.

Whether the large number of water rats that fled will return remains to be seen.

We must be careful.

Twenty taels of silver may not seem like much, but it can temporarily solve our immediate problem, not to mention the three silver-striped perch.

The Liang family was not particularly wealthy, and they had already done everything they could to come up with this much.

He asked Lan Jie'er to stew one of them, and the group ate some together.

It weighed over three pounds, and most of it ended up in Li Yuan's stomach.

He then downed two large bowls of fish soup, only stopping when Old Zhou stopped him.

Zhou Yanqiu was genuinely worried that Li Yuan would eat too much and upset his stomach.

Little did he know that the meat, once it entered his stomach, immediately transformed into abundant and scorching vital energy.

The nourishing effects of silver-striped perch far surpass those of ordinary livestock, poultry, and fish. Even beef is insignificant compared to silver-striped perch, so Li Yuan was unwilling to waste a single bit.

He wiped his mouth and began practicing his martial arts in the courtyard...

call--

After completing one round of the exercise, Li Yuan was suddenly startled.

[White Tiger Bone Forging Technique (Great Success): 20/100] --> [Five Elements Power Generation Stance (Perfect): 30/100]

Li Yuan was overjoyed.

Based on this calculation, breaking through to the Dark Force realm before the martial arts exam should be sufficient.

As everyone knows, Ming Jin is the entry level for martial arts exams, but if you really want to win a ranking, you must at least start with An Jin.

Every year, no fewer than 10,000 people take the exam, but only one in a hundred can obtain the title of martial arts master.

The night was deep and all was quiet.

A cold wind brushed against my cheek, blowing away a fine layer of sweat.

Li Yuan re-established his stance and once again immersed himself in cultivating his martial arts technique...

……

The next day, at Li's General Store.

As usual, Li Canghai was dozing off on the counter.

The shop's business is getting worse day by day, and now it's practically deserted.

Bandits were rampant on the Blackwater River, causing a slump in business and a decline in all industries in Linjiang City.

Not to mention ordinary people worrying about the price of grain and salt, and their daily meals, even the wealthy have to tighten their belts and save wherever they can.

Who has spare money to patronize a general store that sells pots and pans?

He has lost a lot of weight in recent days, and a deep worry hangs over his face.

"father!"

Li Hao rushed in, his head covered in sweat, his short brown training clothes completely soaked through.

"When working, you should balance work and rest. Don't push yourself too hard when practicing martial arts. Take a break when you need to," Li Canghai said with concern.

Li Hao wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, panting, "Dad, I'm not tired. This little bit of hard work is nothing! There's something I want to tell you..."

"What's up?"

"The martial arts exam is just around the corner, and my master says my qi and blood are now sufficient, so I can try to break through to the internal strength stage!"

Li Canghai immediately sat up straight with excitement, repeatedly saying, "Great, great! That's wonderful!"

He slapped the armrest of the bamboo couch, his brows relaxed, and his expression changed rapidly.

"But... to break through the barrier, you need the aid of the Opening-the-Aperture Pill. They sell them in the pharmacy for twenty taels of silver each..." Li Hao lowered his head, pretending to be thoughtful, but his eyes secretly glanced at his father's face, trying to find an answer from his expression.

pat!

The tobacco pipe fell to the ground.

Li Canghai trembled all over, his brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again, his face grew even more pale, and his arms began to tremble uncontrollably.

Since his youngest son started learning martial arts, the family's expenses have far exceeded his expectations.

It wasn't just the cost of buying meat and medicinal pills for nourishment, but also the numerous expenses for "socializing."

For example, last time, in order to give Li Yuan's betrothed—a woman from the Ye family—a birthday gift, he had already taken out all fifty taels of silver from his bottom chest.

Now, where can he conjure up another twenty taels?

Twenty taels of silver is no small sum!

Seeing Li Canghai's reaction, Li Hao squatted down beside him and softened his tone, saying, "Don't worry, once I pass the martial arts exam, all of this will be fine! Besides, I've found some connections; others will charge twenty taels, but I can buy it for the wholesale price—eighteen taels!"

"Right now, I really don't have any money to spare..." Li Canghai said, looking utterly defeated.

"My lord! This is the crucial moment of the martial arts exam, we absolutely cannot delay Xiao Hao! Besides, do you know how difficult it is to reach the stage of abundant qi and blood? So many people would kill for it! You must think of a way!" At this moment, Li Taoshi came out from the inner room and said.

"What can I do?" Li Canghai asked with a distressed expression.

"If that doesn't work, we'll borrow some more..." said Li Taoshi.

"Borrow?" Li Canghai gave a bitter smile. "I've borrowed from all my relatives and friends, and the debts still haven't been filled. The neighbors all avoid me... Xiao Hao, you have many friends at the martial arts school, why don't you ask your fellow disciples for help first..."

Li Hao suddenly stood up, his face instantly turning extremely ugly. "How can I ask you to? Which of my fellow disciples doesn't need expenses for practicing martial arts? Who among them has spare money to lend me?"

He did think of a few people.

But ever since a genius with even better aptitude came to the martial arts school, he has clearly sensed the other party's growing distance.

"How about... you talk to Ye Wenqing about it?" Li Canghai asked tentatively.

Li Tao sighed, "How can you expect Xiao Hao to even say that! The marriage hasn't even taken place yet, and you're already making him feel inferior?"

Li Canghai shut his mouth, lowered his head and pondered for a moment, "I heard that after breaking through to the Ming Jin level, one can find a place to hold a temporary post. Why don't you give it a try?..."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Tao interrupted her, "That won't work either. What kind of status does the Ye family woman have? If they knew that Xiao Hao still needs a temporary job to supplement his martial arts training, this marriage would basically be over."

"Yes, yes, Mother is right!"

Li Hao knew perfectly well what was going on.

Now, Ye Wenqing's heart is probably no longer with him.

She politely declined several invitations, but now she seems more enthusiastic about the new genius disciple.

I truly regret my actions.

There was a time when I thought I was the most dazzling star in the night sky.

Only now do I realize that the fat goldfish in the fish tank always thinks it's the biggest, but once it enters a river, lake, or sea, it realizes it's just a grain of sand.

"How about... you talk to Old Zhou about it?" Li Tao suggested tentatively. "I heard that his family has recently bought a lot of nice furniture, and even the roof was replaced with the best materials. It seems like their fortunes are improving..."

Li Canghai's brows furrowed into a knot. "...Things have gotten to that point, how can you expect me to bring it up?!"

"Father, is Xiao Hao's future more important, or your reputation?" Li Tao asked earnestly.

Dead silence.

The air seemed to freeze.

a long time.

Li Canghai sighed deeply, as if he had made a tremendous decision, "Fine, fine, I'll swallow my pride and go talk to Old Zhou..."

……

Wutong Street.

Looking at Zhou Yanqiu's family's newly painted house and brand-new roof, Li Canghai felt a mix of emotions.

A wave of indescribable emotions surged within me.

After a full incense stick's time, he finally raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Old Zhou's familiar voice rang out in the courtyard.

"It's me..." Li Canghai's voice trembled and became hoarse.

"What are you doing here?!" Zhou Yanqiu recognized his voice and replied without any politeness.

"Sigh, it's all for the child. It's Xiao Hao. He's at a crucial stage in developing his internal strength, and he's missing a certain pill called the Opening-Aperture Pill, which is very expensive. You see... could you lend me some to tide me over?"

There was a moment of silence in the courtyard.

"You should leave now," Zhou Yanqiu sighed.

"Old Zhou, we've known each other for so many years... how can you bear to ignore this?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanqiu's nameless anger flared even more uncontrollably. "It was your decision back then! What, are you regretting it now?! You only care that your youngest son urgently needs money, don't you think about your eldest son at all?! Heaven has eyes, Yuanzi has lived up to expectations, he's made a name for himself, he's already a Ming Jin martial artist! Doesn't he need that damn gate-knocking technique?"

"Li Yuan... he... he's also a Ming Jin martial artist?" Li Canghai exclaimed in surprise.

"This has nothing to do with you anymore!" Zhou Yanqiu's voice trembled, but her tone was firm and unwavering. "Since Yuanzi started practicing martial arts, he hasn't spent a single penny of the family's money. I don't have any money either, and I can't conjure up any silver to lend you. You should go back."

Li Canghai opened his mouth, then closed it again.

His face turned deathly pale, and his mind was in turmoil.

How could Li Yuan, who usually seemed dull and wooden, have become so skilled in martial arts?

Moreover, he didn't spend a single penny of his family's money.

In an instant, Li Canghai seemed to have aged ten years.

I was truly blind to the beauty of gold inlaid with jade.

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have...

Alas, it's too late to say anything now.

"Okay, then...I'm leaving..." Li Canghai felt a pang of guilt and staggered back...

……

Patrol battalion.

After Li Yuanxun and Sun Pangzi checked in, he received a brand-new deputy patrol officer uniform and a waist tag engraved with the words "Deputy Patrol Officer".

His neat and tidy outfit made him look even more energetic.

Li Yuan gazed at the young and upright figure reflected in the standing bronze mirror, a smile unconsciously appearing on his lips.

Unbeknownst to him, he had grown taller, from just over seven feet to nearly eight feet.

No wonder the old folks often say that at twenty-three, you can still grow taller.

But he knew in his heart that this change must be related to his recent high-intensity martial arts training.

Besides his increasingly tall and slender figure, his muscles have become more defined and toned, exuding a youthful and energetic aura.

"good."